The article shared numerous stories of people who had been running every day straight for 5, 10, 25, 40+ years.

Yes, EVERY SINGLE DAY!

At first, I thought these people were crazy. Isn’t that bad on your body? Maybe so, but the more I thought about it, the more I was drawn into the idea of what it would feel like mentally and physically to test drive that idea for a year myself.

It also seemed like an interesting way to start getting my head and body ready for the kind of endurance I’d need to run my second NYC Marathon on 1.11.15. I want this one to be much stronger than when I ran my first in 2011.

So start I did on the 1st, with the commitment to run at least 1 mile a day, maybe more if I was in the mood, but never less than a mile.

That seemed doable.

So as you can see, I started taking selfies on Day 1 and by Day 5, I decided to do a date stamp.

Our winter in the Northeast has been crazy, so until the Spring thaw arrives, thanks to Planet Fitness, I’ve been able to get in at least a mile a day, every day.

It’s also been great having people support me each day as I share my run on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. This is very much in keeping with one of my tenets to “declare it and share it” from the book I wrote: smartphoneFIT.

And as I got past a few weeks of my daily runs I remembered an idea that Chris Powell shared with me a few years ago. He said he could change someone’s life if they would find something they could do and enjoy for just 5 minutes a day.

He had found that if he could get someone to do what they loved for just 5 minutes a day, for a week, and then step that up another 5 minutes a week to where they were doing it 30-60 minutes a day, it became more than a healthy habit, it became part of their “being”, their identity.

So knowing that I was fit enough to run a mile easy enough every day, that kinda became my 5 minute a day commitment for myself.

I liked running, I wasn’t crazy fast yet, but I did like how it felt. Plus, it also really reminded me how much easier it feels to move through space with less weight.

And the more I’ve run, the easier it is to run a mile, not only physically, but mentally. Little by little, I’m also able to run faster and faster.

Truth be told, some days I’m not in the mood to run and when that happens I feel like I’m running through molasses, and I’m just doing time… anxious to get it over.

But after each run, I feel a little stronger, a little more confident and I have to admit that after awhile running just becomes like walking: you just do it because you can.

So, lets talk about you.

What do you love that you’d be willing to do for 5 minutes a day, every day?

Maybe just walk, hike or bike.

Because even though Chris asks for just 5 minutes a day, everyone I suggest that to realizes that once you’re into 5 minutes of anything, more often than not that 5 leads to 15, 30 and sooner than later 60 minutes, if it’s truly something you love.

Today was Day 77 of my 365 Day run streak, with only 288 days to go until I complete it.

But the real test is going to be my 2nd NYC Marathon, which I have a personal goal to run injury free this time, and in under 5 hours.

In addition to doing my best run, I also want to beat the 2014 average finish time of 4:34:45 minutes. Of course, to accomplish that, I know I need to lose my last 100lbs., and I will.

I have 7 months of opportunities to train my mind and body to go from my #WeighInWednesday of 275.4lbs this morning to below 175lbs so that I not only finish the race injury free, but strong and below 4:34:45 minutes!

Jay Jacobs, a 56-year-old serial entrepreneur from West Orange, NJ, was a contestant on the eleventh season of NBC’s hit weight-loss reality show, The Biggest Loser. Known as one of the strongest teams to beat, Jay and his daughter, Jen, were the Green Team and lost a combined total of 295 pounds on the show!
In addition to being a managing partner of Shurn Group, his family-owned health and wellness branding and marketing firm, Jay has become a highly sought-after and very successful motivational speaker who inspires others to unlock their “Personal Best!”

About Us

We at #couchkills believe that the couch is a place to recover from living your life, not a place to spend your life. So we created this website where we use beautiful photography, videos, and articles to share with you our stories of what got us OFF THE COUCH! If you have a story you would like to share, please contact us.